Maggie's First Date
by AirAndDarkness
Summary: [Spoiler level Changes] Maggie wants Harry to meet her date. Rated T to be safe. Could be K


Hell's Bells. This was going to be bad.

My name is Harry Dresden. I'm a wizard. I also happen to be Queen Mab's mortal emissary, also known as the Winter Knight. I'm now close to my 50th birthday and have been battling big bad nasties and things that go bump in the night for the better part of thirty years. And I was so not prepared for this. This was so out of my league that my palms were sweating and there was a knot in my stomach. Stress maybe?

My daughter, Maggie, was dating someone.

Laugh it out I'll wait.

See, I knew this would come up eventually but that doesn't mean that I wasn't taken aback when she dropped the bomb on me that she wanted me to meet her partner.

Maggie turned sixteen this year, she has dark hair and eyes and a much healthier complexion than her old man. But then again I do spend a lot of time in Winter. She used to be gangly much like me but lately she had been hit by the pubertycane and had started developing the built of an amazon.

Proud daddy Dresden. That's me.

I was sure I was going to dislike her boyfriend. That was the proper fatherly thing to do after all, right? I should dislike him on principle and make threats and all. I would. I really would, had my better half, Karrin, not slapped me round the head when I mentioned it.

"Maggie is her own person" she had said, "she doesn't need you to set rules to her dates. You don't make the rules, her boyfriend doesn't make the rules. _Her_ body. _Her_ rules. Just say anything stupid, Dresden and I'll kick your ass."

Surprisingly, it got through to my thick skull that she was right. And now I was standing outside my apartment, clenching and unclenching my fists and rubbing my palms on my jeans.

I was early. Maggie had asked to borrow my spare keys - she doesn't live with me, long story - so she could come home after school and cook something fancy to impress her date. I took a deep breath and relaxed a bit, thinking I could at least have some time alone with her, have a beer to chill before her boyfriend showed up and try to at least partially repress my snarky ass comments long enough so as to not embarrass my kid.

I deactivated my wards, unlocked the door and practically walked in on my daughter making out on the couch.

Hell's Bells.

She was sitting on her boyfriend's lap, her tall form obscuring my view of the person I was about to kill.

I coughed.

Maggie spun around instantly, her face flushed but looking as mischievous as she could in such a situation. And then my jaw dropped.

"Uh.." I said wittily. Highly intellectual Wizard. That's me.

Maggie stood up and placed her hair nervously behind her ears as she walked up to me to give me a peck on the cheek. She could do that without tip toeing now. I barely looked at her, my eyes were stuck on her date. Her _girl _date.

"Uhm, hi daddy!" she said brightly, "I'm sorry, I'd never - I mean... if I knew you'd be early..."

"Uhhh..." my clever remarks were surely setting up a high bar tonight.

"This is Sara O'Neill, Sara this is my father, Harry."

I vaguely remember shaking the girl's hand while I was still trying to wrap my brain around this.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr Dresden." she said in a shy voice. I looked over my daughter's _very_ attractive young girlfriend in the least creepy way possible. There was something uniquely disturbing about the thought but damn, my kid's got _game. _She was about 5'2", blond, green eyed and freckled everywhere. She was also obviously scared out of her mind. I was kind of looming over her after all, what in my leather duster and all 6'9" of me. I took off my coat and sat in the two seat couch, trying to find a thing to say when Maggie placed her hand on Sara's arm made eye contact and urged her to the kitchen.

"Will you please check the oven? I am useless with timing and my timer broke again."

Sara gave her a tight lipped smile and scuttled off to the kitchen leaving me and my daughter alone. Maggie sat gingerly next to me and touched my hand making me feel the buzz of her aura. See, she was going to be a wizard as well. Her talent hadn't manifested yet but she would be damn powerful when it did.

"Daddy?" Maggie asked shyly as I pinched the bridge of my nose and rubbed my eyes "Are you mad at me?"

I blinked. _Mad?_

"Uh I'm _surprised_." I said. "I didn't know you were... I mean I didn't... you... you never said you liked _girls_."

"I like boys too." she replied flustered, "I mean, not right now but I've dated boys and will probably do so again at some point."

"_Boys_? _Boys?_ Plural?" I faked an appalled expression.

"Dad." she punched me on my arm. I laughed and wrapped my arms around her.

"I'm not mad at you, Maggster." I squeezed her tightly "Stars and stones I am elated. She actually can't get you pregnant."

"DAD!"

I was merciless.

"And let's face it, another cute Irish blonde marrying into the Dresdens? Hell's Bells kiddo, you got game."

"_Father_." She was giggling now.

I basked in her happiness. This was already being much easier than I thought it would be.

My kid was happy.


End file.
